On April 17-19, 2025, the Province of Our Lady of Montserrat in Spain once again celebrated its annual “Franciscan Easter” at the San Buenaventura School in Madrid.
The event brought together entire families, adults, kids, teens and friars (150 people in all) to experience the Easter Triduum, with great simplicity and joy. The participants were inspired by the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope and entered into the mysteries of the life of the Lord Jesus. Indeed, each year, the Church invites us to celebrate the Lord’s passion, death on the cross and resurrection with particular intensity, attention and wonder.
This event was characterized by prayer, catechesis, workshops, service experiences, liturgical celebrations, games and, above all, fraternity. The motto for this year’s Triduum was: “Why Did You Give Your Life for Me?”
This question became clearer each day as we listened, celebrated, and reflected. We understood that Jesus gave His life for us out of love, for the forgiveness of our sins, for our salvation, to give us a new and true life, to teach us how to love unconditionally, and to show us the keys to a successful and fulfilled life: detachment and self-giving.
The Minister General, Friar Carlos TROVARELLI, joined the event on Good Friday. From Holy Saturday onwards, he was joined by the Minister Provincial of Spain, Friar Juan Antonio ADÁNEZ SILVÁN. They had celebrated the first days of the Triduum with the fraternities in Pamplona and Zaragoza, Spain. Their presence was a joy, offering support and fraternal closeness. Friar Carlos presided over the Easter Sunday Mass, emphasizing that the Triduum was lived in a “very real” way, inviting everyone to open their hearts to receive, like St. Francis, joy, courage, and peace―the holy fruits of the Resurrection.
Grateful for these special days lived in communion, we ask, using the words of St. Francis, that with all that we have received we may “tell among the nations that the Lord has ruled from a tree” (Office of the Passion, Psalm VII, 9; FF 288) … and now, “You are our hope, You are our faith, You are our charity… You are our eternal life” (Praises of God 6; FF 261).
Friar Jesús Abel GARCÍA-CEZÓN ROLDÁN, Provincial Delegate for Youth and Vocation Ministry
